Why is good health important for an entrepreneur? How can good health boost your business?

By Abhishek Negi, Co Founder , Eggoz

In this age of hustle culture, overworking and paying less attention to one’s health are glamourized, and even encouraged. However, a healthy mind can only reside in a healthy body. Without both of these aspects working in tandem, no work can be carried out properly, let alone running a business. If we take the case of businessmen who have truly become successful, we can observe that they did not let their health take a backseat at any point in their career.

Entrepreneurs should remember that they are their most powerful asset at the end of the day – it is not their swanky company office, their products or their finances. All these can go away in a jiffy due to unforeseen circumstances. What will be left is the entrepreneur and their will to win it all back; but for this their own health cannot be compromised on. Avoiding illness should be a priority but being healthy is not about that alone.

Being physically healthy means eating right, exercising and also having a proper sleep schedule. Many entrepreneurs say that time is a luxury for them; that their day is so packed with meetings and events that they cannot fit all these aspects into their routine. This is where strategizing and planning come into the picture. Just as an entrepreneur plans their meetings for the day in a systematic manner, they should also prepare their own ‘health time-table’ or action plan.

This time-table could consist of what meals they should have for the day, exercising and/or meditation breaks and also a specific ‘sign off time’ at which they can aspire to finish all tasks for the day (this may be challenging to adhere to on some days, but some flexibility is okay). Also, if you feel like something is ‘off’ with your body, you should not postpone dealing with it, and attend to it immediately.

Another aspect of health that is ignored by entrepreneurs is mental health. Meeting deadlines and hitting goals can be taxing on one’s mental health. Many studies over the years have shown that depression is a curse in the entrepreneurial world. A major cause of depression is burnout and burnout is real, whether we like to acknowledge it for a fact or not.

If entrepreneurs keep on ignoring their mental health and allow issues to build up without talking to anyone about them, the more the repercussions they have to face later. It can catch up to you one day wherein you won’t even feel like getting out of bed. This situation can be compared to running on minimum fuel – it will ruin the engine and there will be no scope of reviving later. So it is advised that entrepreneurs take a break, analyze their mental well-being along with physical well-being, make necessary amends and then get on with work.

When an entrepreneur or businessperson takes care of their own health and prioritizes their well-being, they are not just indulging in necessary TLC but also encouraging their employees to do the same. They will be setting the right example for employees in this case. We know that it is not only the products that we are selling nor the profits that we are making that form the crux of the company – it is the employees too.

If the people that work in the organization are happy and healthy, then they will contribute positively to the growth of the company. So it is a win-win situation for all. The organization can conduct health camps, awareness programs, take ‘wellness trips’ and invest in employee health insurance in this regard.

Entrepreneurs are therefore advised to start here and start now with respect to putting the focus back on health. It is never too late to do this, even though for some it may feel like they have been gone too far to come back and start healthy habits.

If there is a will, there is definitely a way and who better than entrepreneurs to carve this path out. Keeping oneself motivated is one of the ways in which entrepreneurs can achieve their goals and being healthy is a great way to do this.